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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · safe · pitcher · cue · root · wax · bulb · wind

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. root — the cause
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. root — of a word
  21. cue — a hint
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cue — for pool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com